From a Las Vegas native's point of view

Lilly’s Thai and Vietnamese

We were pleasantly surprised by a recent weeknight stop at this small, unassuming, neighborhood restaurant on W. Sahara (between Buffalo and Tenaya). A few dishes prepared by a cook who obviously knows their way around a southeast-Asian kitchen were exceptional. The menu here isn’t expansive, we always take that as a good sign. We’d much rather choose from a short list of well-prepared dishes than an ambitious list of dishes slapped together by someone taking a wild guess at an unfamiliar recipe.

The Thai spring rolls ($4.95) were first-rate. Four crackling-crisp, nicely seasoned rolls filled with vegetables and thin rice noodles were everything a perfect Thai spring roll should be. The menu features several duck dishes (a personal favorite). Fans of Thai basil will love the Ka Pao Duck $16.95, a generous portion of outstanding, crisp-skinned, boneless duck topped with stir fried vegetables and fragrant Thai basil. We were also impressed by the Beef Sam Rot ($9.95), super-tender, battered and fried beef served with broccoli and a light sauce that didn’t overpower the dish. We have been told the pho is very good here, and we plan a return trip soon to confirm that.

We topped things off with an interesting, chunky coconut ice cream served with crisp banana-filled wontons ($5.95). Service was lovely; our server was charming, patient, and efficient. Our only issue was the rice. We don’t mind paying an extra $1.50 for a bowl of plain rice, but ours was either reheated rice from the day before or a low-quality brand. But that won’t stop us from another visit to see what this cook does with noodles and pho, and another order of that terrific Ka Pao Duck.